seized sparkplug Options

[aflacattack]

my number 2 spark plug ceased and i cant get it out without absolutely torquing on the thing...(which i dont want to do)
any ideas?

edit: the guy i goto says that it is probably from over tightening and he doesnt think dumping some wd40 or any penetrating oil down there is gonna help, any other ideas?

This post has been edited by aflacattack: Jul 10, 2008 - 4:07 AM

[Bitter]

work it back and forth, tighten and loosen, tighten and loosen till it comes out.

[x_itchy_b_x]

i'd spray penetration oil. why not? stuffs awesome.

[Bitter]

because it wont make it past the spark plug's seal to the head and onto the threads until the plug has already been broken loose.

[x_itchy_b_x]

lies. that stuff "penetrates" through the smallest of cracks.

it cant harm anything, its not worth trying?

"ceased" means nothings turning in the first place. there is no working it back and forth.

[Bitter]

seized? ceased means its stopped as in stopped working as in no spark.


seized is different, it means stopped as in not moving as in not turning.


and trust me, if the seal between the plug gasket and the head is enough to keep the thousands of PSI of pressure created by combustion from seeping past the threads, then it wont be letting in any penetrating oils which only have gravity backing them.


a seized plug is a heck of a problem, but as i said, go back and forth. even if it doesnt move at first, just work it back and forth with a breaker bar. keep doing that back and forth and it'll get broken loose eventually.

its that or snap it off in the head and deal with that. if you're lucky it'll just leave the threaded part in the head and someone can get an extractor into that and turn it out. however with either way, i suspect you'll need to run a thread chase down the plug threads at minimum, if not get the head drilled and a threaded insert installed. helicoils suck for heads, a real insert is the way to go. they make special copper ones just for aluminum heads or some other metal just for aluminum heads. steel ones like helicoils are not to be used on aluminum heads due to different rates of expansion between the metals.

[94celigts]

Impact gun? might work... might do some damage though?

[Bitter]

Impact gun? might work... might do some damage though?

unless its a very controllable 3/8ths drive gun then likely it'll just snap it or strip the threads out with it.

[aflacattack]

sorry it was a typo, i meant seized.. i was in a hurry and didnt double check....
i'm gonna try some penetrating oil again tomorrow and then if that doesnt work i'll try going back and forth with a break bar.
worst that happens is, well, bitter explained it pretty well...!
thanks all, i'll update you tomorrow!

[SlickRick]

put the head on a hot plate assuming its off the motor. if its still on, heat the head up in the area on the plug and you should be ok. but dont go back and forth with it or wiggle it, remember that plug and those threads hold back anywhere from 400-1200 psi depending on how your car is running.

[aflacattack]

wow, completely forgot i made this thread >.<
i drove down to a friends shop and we tried to get it loose while the car was both warm and cold, i put a few drops of penetrating oil down there a few days before and then the day before i went, still no movement. didnt go over 25 lbs to try to get it out, still no luck. The head is still on the car btw.. I'll just not worry about it for right now. I'll work on it later when i have another means of transportation in case the head has to come off. Thanks to everyone for the help, i'll update you if i get any progress!

[alltracman78]

Sometimes plugs actually come out safer on a cold engine [head] instead of a hot one.

You should be fine leaving it in there for now, which is probably your best bet.
Don't change the other plugs though, leave them all the same IMO, the engine should run smoother.
Once it starts to misfire you should replace it [and already have a plan for it].

One option is someone with a 3/8" impact and a good trigger finger should be able to knock it out, if it's going to damage the head it will either way and that might rock it loose.
Or you can try the ratchet and he man it, that also could turn out good or bad.

Were the plugs antisiezed when they were installed?

[aflacattack]

Were the plugs antisiezed when they were installed?

no idea, they have been in the car since i bought it, the plugs i just put in are, but for the one stuck one no clue.
havent had an issue with the one being different then the rest. but who knows how things will look in a month.

[Bitter]

this is why i pop my plugs out about every 5k and check/regap them :lol: no seizes!

[aflacattack]

this is why i pop my plugs out about every 5k and check/regap them :lol: no seizes!

i'm starting to wish i did, i should have pulled them out and checked them when i bought the car.
Moneys on the toyota dealership didnt when i took the car in to get checked out when i bought it.
but no use spending time pondering spilled milk, just gotta deal with it and move on